DYING FETUS‘ latest album, “Reign Supreme”, sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 186 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 5 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

DYING FETUS‘s previous collection of original material, “Descend Into Depravity”, opened with around 2,700 units to land at No. 166.

Released on June 19, 2012 via Relapse Records, “Reign Supreme” was recorded at Wrightway Studios in Baltimore with longtime producer Steve Wright (SLIPKNOT, MISERY INDEX). It will feature nine tracks and is “a ‘return to roots,’ with production focused slightly more on slam than in the band’s last few works,” according to a press release. “Thematically, the album is set to be a good old-fashioned piece of social and political commentary in the style of DYING FETUS as we have come to know.”

Commented DYING FETUS guitarist/vocalist John Gallagher: “The last album had some groove in it, but [it] was basically a lot of tech; this one is a return to form of older DYING FETUS albums, so to speak — more modern production, though, of course. Everything’s tight, the sound is crushing, the drums are amazing.”

The Rock Pit recently conducted an interview with Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, SEPULTURA). A couple of excerps from the chat follow below.

The Rock Pit: I wanted to get straight into [SOULFLY‘s] upcoming album, “Savages”. I have been listening to a preview of it and I must say this sounds like a really big album for SOULFLY. It has a lot of the elements from previous albums. Tell us a bit about the idea behind this album.

Max: “Savages” is definitely a surprising album for us in that it’s the ninth album for SOULFLY and the first album with Terry Date producing the album. He’s a great producer. It’s the first album that my son plays drums on it. Zyon did a great job and we have some real nice guests like Neil [Fallon] from CLUTCH, Jamie [Hanks] from I DECLARE WAR and Mitch [Harris] from NAPALM DEATH are on the record. I really like the record. I think half of it is extreme like “Enslaved” was and the other half is really super groovy like early SOULFLY stuff like “Prophecy” and “Soulfly 1”. Stuff like “Bloodshed” and “Masters Of Savagery” and “Spiral” are killer groove songs, so I think it’s a great combination of this extreme and groove together which makes “Savages” a very powerful record.

The Rock Pit: Terry Date, who you have worked with before, you decided to work with him again; this time he produced the album. Why did you decide to work with him?

Max: Yeah, I worked with him on “Around The Fur”, the DEFTONES album from 1997, I believe, and I met Terry at that time and became good friends with him. He used to come to SOULFLY and sing “Policia” all the time and he mixed two of my other records, “Dark Ages” and “Conquer”, I believe, and we kept the friendship going through the years. I always said, “One day I’m going to record a whole record with you and you are going to produce.” When the time came for this one, I called him up and said, “Are you ready to do this, man?” and he was ready, and it was the best choice possible because I love the sound of the record. I think Terry did an amazing job on the sound. The drums sound fantastic, the guitars sound fantastic and it was such a pleasure working with Terry. He’s such a good guy, such a mellow guy in the studio, that made everyone at ease and gave everyone good confidence to make the best record possible. So I love working with Terry. I would definitely work with him again in the future.

The Rock Pit: One of the things that I have noticed with SOULFLY over the years is that each album is different, especially after [guitarist] Marc Rizzo joined the band. How much of an impact has he had with the changes over the years?

Max: Yeah, Marc is a big part of it. He’s been with us since 2004 and he’s a really killer guitar player. He adds his own real guitar accent and, of course, shredding, because he’s an amazing shredder. He’s just a great guy, but I think part of the motivation of SOULFLY going forward comes with the idea that Marc‘s in the band and we do a lot of things together. A lot of times I will do a riff and Marc will grab my riff and make it better, like update my riff. Make it a little cooler, a little more exciting, and that’s a great way to work when you can do it like that with a guy in the band who can do that. We have a system that really works and he loves being in SOULFLY; he’s one guy I don’t want to change in the band. That’s why he’s been with us since 2004 and I don’t think we are going to change for a long time. I hope he stays with me for a long time, because I think we have some kind of magic together that’s really killer. I love the fact that he’s in the band and that he does so much for SOULFLY.

American hardcore metallers PRO-PAIN will release their new studio album, “The Final Revolution”, on November 25 in Europe and December 3 in North America via SPV/Steamhammer. According to vocalist/bassist Gary Meskil, PRO-PAIN‘s 14th studio recording marks the band’s return to its old form. “The music is quite dark, and the groove and tempos are very reminiscent of the classic PRO-PAIN style as opposed to our last album, ‘Straight To The Dome’, which was a bit more thrashy,” he says.

“The Final Revolution” was recorded, mixed, and mastered by V.O. Pulver (GURD) from August 18 to August 29, 2013 at Little Creek Studio in Gelterkinden, Switzerland. Meskil wrote all of the music and lyrics at his home in Sarasota, Florida.

“In order to keep things interesting, I decided to take the reins and handle all of the writing duties alone this time,” he says. “It’s the first PRO-PAIN album since the ’90s in which I’ve written everything.”

The standard “The Final Revolution” release will feature twelve brand-new tracks. There will be other configurations available as well, in the form of a digipak and gatefold album. Those configurations will contain some bonus material (including live tracks plus a UK SUBS cover), foldout poster, etc. Meskil adds: “I’m sure the fans will love it!”

PRO-PAIN will play some Florida shows in October, which will mark the band’s first U.S. gigs in more than four years. The band also has a European tour scheduled from November 29 until December 21, with ZUUL FX (France), KOMAH (Belgium), and SOULLINE (Switzerland) supporting.

Meskil concludes: “We hope everyone will enjoy our new album as much as we do! See you on tour!”

Brazil’s Soulfly (led by iconic frontman Max Cavalera) has released another brand new single off the band’s upcoming groove bomb “Savages.” Check out “Master Of Savagery” in the player below, thanks to TheGauntlet.com . “Savages” is set for release on October 4th, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment

Remember when former Korn drummer David Silveria called out Korn for lacking groove and generally not being as good as they were with him behind the kit? Well singer Jonathan Davis is of a slightly different persuasion. Naturally, Davis was asked about what was going on with Silveria after he called the band out in …

Quality fan-filmed video footage of DYING FETUS‘ August 25 performance at Foufounes Électriques in Montreal, Quebec, Canada can be seen below.

DYING FETUS‘ latest album, “Reign Supreme”, sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 186 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 5 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

DYING FETUS‘s previous collection of original material, “Descend Into Depravity”, opened with around 2,700 units to land at No. 166.

Released on June 19, 2012 via Relapse Records, “Reign Supreme” was recorded at Wrightway Studios in Baltimore with longtime producer Steve Wright (SLIPKNOT, MISERY INDEX). It will feature nine tracks and is “a ‘return to roots,’ with production focused slightly more on slam than in the band’s last few works,” according to a press release. “Thematically, the album is set to be a good old-fashioned piece of social and political commentary in the style of DYING FETUS as we have come to know.”

Commented DYING FETUS guitarist/vocalist John Gallagher: “The last album had some groove in it, but [it] was basically a lot of tech; this one is a return to form of older DYING FETUS albums, so to speak — more modern production, though, of course. Everything’s tight, the sound is crushing, the drums are amazing.”

Hungarian female fronted, symphonic metal band Sorronia (formerly Thristana) has signed a deal with Bakerteam Records for the release of debut album “Words Of Silence.” First conceived in 2011 by vocalist Anna Király and keyboardist István Biró, Sorronia released a promotional video for the song “Enemy Of Yourself” in January 2013. Bakerteam Records also comments: “The band combines a wide range of influences which resulted in a striking symphonic album made of grandiose melodies and hard rockin’ riffs, neo-classical solos and Gothic elements, with unique twists and plenty of groove.

Metal Assault: Your new album, “Winter Kills”, is coming out on August 27th via Napalm Records. I was listening to it, and I think it’s pretty dynamic. It’s very raw in many ways but it’s also melodic. Would you say that’s a fair description?

Dez: Yeah, absolutely! It’s got a lot of presence to it. It’s upfront and not over-produced. The vocals for pretty much every single track were recorded in first takes, so it has a very “live” feel. It’s full of groove and hooks, and has very tight arrangements. So yeah, that’s a fair assessment.

Metal Assault: Talking of the past two records, “Pray For Villains” was a pretty melodic, metalcore-type album but then “Beast” was a lot heavier, and now you are coming out with “Winter Kills”. What would you say about the musical changes from album to album? Are you going heavier with each one?

Dez: Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that. I think DEVILDRIVER has a signature sound that drives every single record, but then every record has to be different. So if you listen to “The Last Kind Words” and then “Pray For Villains”, they are very different. And again, “Beast” is different from “Pray For Villains”. That one, for me, was definitely a more melodic record, and “Beast” was a more ferocious, volatile, almost punk rock record. We tend to not make the same piece of art twice, so that’s where we are with that.

Metal Assault: In terms of your vocals on this album, physically how did the challenge compare to what you did on previous albums?

Dez: Oh, I found myself extremely focused on this record because I built a home studio. You’d think that placing yourself in an unfamiliar environment away from home would actually add to that raw feeling or that pushing edge that blues, punk rock and metal need when you’re recording, but I found that it was quite the opposite and working in that manner was taking me away from that feeling. So I built my home studio and what I found was focus. I got almost all of it in first takes. If we didn’t get something in the first take, we would start with it again the next day itself because I wanted to keep that vibe going. Vocally, I think the songs have hit the mark on this album and combined well with the writing of the other musicians in the band. All around, I’m really happy with this record and I’m excited to put it out.

Metal Assault: This is your first release on Napalm Records. Before you started writing or at any time during the process, was there any directive from them as to what they expected from you or did they just let you run with whatever you wanted to do?

Dez: Well, we’re with Napalm here in the States and overseas, we’re also with Roadrunner Records and Warner Bros. in Australia, and we signed with Metal Blade for Japan. So, I don’t think any of our label partners were telling us what to do. We knew we had a record in us even before we were making any of these deals. We knew what we had to do and we had to really come to the table. For a lot of bands, the first two records are great and then everything after that is an attempt to follow or match that. I don’t think DEVILDRIVER is one of those bands. I think we keep getting better on each record. Each record has our signature sound, but there is evolution and growth in the band each time. Any time there’s growth in art, it’s better. So, the labels just expected us to deliver whatever we were going to do art-wise.

A few weeks ago, we posted the first new Korn single since Head rejoined the band, Never Never, and ultimately it was a bit disappointing to some. Even former Korn drummer David Silveria was all like "guys, where's the groove?" Well, this new song, "Love & Meth" brings some of that old Korn groove back. …

Rokken Randy of Examiner.com conducted an interview with SEVENDUST singer Lajon Witherspoon on July 27 in Syracuse, New York. You can now watch the chat below.

Witherspoon told Alternative Addiction in an interview that he plans to start work on a solo project after the band completes the touring and promotion cycle for its recently released album, “Black Out The Sun”. Witherspoon revealed, “Once this album has taken its course and SEVENDUST slows down again, I’ll start working on my solo stuff. I feel that life and music is like a chess game, and so I’m waiting to make my next move.”

Asked what his solo material will sound like, Witherspoon replied, “When I sing and people hear my voice, I have to believe they’ll compare it to SEVENDUST, which I don’t mind, because that’s where my roots are. But I think my stuff will definitely have rock and a lot more soul. SEVENDUST has a groove, but I think I’ll be a little bit different.”

The four other members of SEVENDUST all worked on new projects during the band’s last extended break.

Guitarist Clint Lowery and drummer Morgan Rose released a debut album called “Last Parade” from their band CALL ME NO ONE in June 2012, while guitarist John Connolly and bassist Vince Hornsby also launched a new act called PROJECTED that issued a first effort titled “Human” in September 2012.

SEVENDUST‘s ninth studio set, “Black Out The Sun”, came out on March 26 and follows up 2010’s “Cold Day Memory”.